The Center For People In Need Gives Former Prisoners A Second Chance

LIVES IMPACTED: 2,000+

The Center for People in Need is a Lincoln, NE based charity, serving tens of thousands a year. Housed in a former warehouse and retail store, the Center’s facilities include expansive classroom space serving hundreds of students daily, a fully staffed and equipped warehouse that distributes millions of dollars’ worth of consumer goods to those in need, as well as conference space, computer labs, and job training facilities.

The Center for People in Need began a prisoner reentry program in March 2015. The Tackling Recidivism and Developing Employability or TRADE program is a vocational and life skills program developed to assist persons returning to society from an incarceration facility up to 18 months from release, persons currently incarcerated, and on parole. The vocational skills development portion of the program focuses on three areas: warehousing and forklift, office and professional, and residential construction and building maintenance.

The Grainger supplies we received through Good360 have helped equip the residential construction building maintenance program. With this help, we have been able to serve 150 people returning to society to gain the skills they need to obtain gainful employment, thereby decreasing their likelihood to reoffend. With these goods we are also able to help participants with startup necessities such as hand tools and safety equipment. This allows them to use the money they earn to support their families and to begin life again as a productive member of society, rather than having to invest their limited financial resources in those items.

Grainger products have also been used to assist other smaller non-profit partners of the Center. The cleaning supplies, equipment, and other items have been a valued asset to the community of Lincoln, Nebraska. The items received from Grainger have helped community resource providers lower their operating costs by providing them with much needed equipment and supplies. They have helped programs to develop job training for the community. They have also provided direct support to individuals entering the workforce. Grainger and Good360 have been a valuable asset and partnership for the Center for People in Need and we thank all of you for your help and support.